


I Missed You

by lovesikkle



Category: Rockman.EXE | Mega Man Battle Network
Genre: Angst, Divorce (mentioned), Spiral into depression
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-23
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:09:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28265190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovesikkle/pseuds/lovesikkle
Summary: A request I received for a deeper view into the ending of Battle Network 3 where Lan and Mega Man are separated for four months.
Kudos: 10





	I Missed You

Lan couldn’t help the sobs that made their way up his throat as he stared out into that endless ocean in front of him. “I promise I’ll get up on time...,” he choked out. “I promise I’ll do my homework...” His whole body trembled as he imagined what his life would be like going forward. He didn’t want to think about his new reality, but he was already living in it. 

“Hey,” Dr Hikari said, placing a hand on Lan’s shoulder. He sniffled and looked up at his father tearfully. “Let’s head home.”

Lan nodded and they returned to ACDC Town. He was silent the entire train ride home, his gaze glued to his feet even as they walked back to their house.

“So, I think we should start thinking about dinner, don’t you think, Lan?” Mrs Hikari asked, trying to keep the mood light.

“Not hungry,” Lan said, ignoring her and heading straight to his room. He placed his PET on its dock and was immediately overcome with a wave of sadness. He’d been here before, but instead of the immense feeling of dissatisfaction that came when he had yet to receive a Navi, he just felt empty. He felt terrible that he’d let this happen to Mega Man. That he’d failed him as an operator. A second wave of tears threatened him, and he gave in to their demands, letting himself shake and sob anew.

“What are we supposed to do?” Mrs Hikari asked, in a whisper, brows knitted in concern.

Dr Hikari hesitated, unsure of how to go about responding. “He’s mourning,” he said finally.

“Is that all you have to say on the matter?” Mrs Hikari asked, voice growing accusatory.

“I’m a computer scientist, Haruka, not a psychologist!” He said pointedly, yet still quietly enough to where Lan wouldn’t hear him. “I’ll focus on getting back Hub, and you focus on Lan.”

“That’s not how parenting works!” She cried. “You’ve always done this to me! You leave him with me while you spend all day every day typing away on your little console, and for what? You leave your only son at home for months with next to no contact and you expect to still be able to call yourself a father?”

“Lan is not our only child, Haruka. I did not spend all that time bringing Hub back for you to not acknowledge him as your son,” Dr Hikari argued.

“I will never call that abomination my son,” she said firmly. “Hub Hikari died ten years ago.”

“What happened to the Haruka that I married?” Dr Hikari said, shaking his head and storming out of the house.

“Yuichiro!” She called out, following him out. “Stop running from your problems.”

“Who said I was running from anything?” He said, his anger bubbling up out of him. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a mess to clean up.” He turned and headed back towards the station, leaving behind the family that he’d wanted so dearly all those years ago.

Mrs Hikari huffed and headed back into the house. She wondered if she would just be better off as a single mother. She had done a fine enough job of raising Lan alone for all these years, what’s a few more to her?

Lan went to sleep that night dreading the morning. He could hardly call it sleep, though. He tossed and turned all night, trying to stay alert enough to remember to wake up on time, but ended up tuckering himself out around 3 am and slept through his alarm anyway.

“Lan, you’re going to be late for school,” Mrs Hikari prodded gently, poking her head into Lan’s room.

Lan rolled over in bed. He was exhausted and the day hadn’t even started yet. “Sorry,” he murmured, pulling himself out of bed. Making it through the day was going to be a herculean task. He brushed his teeth and get dressed, neglecting putting his PET into his bag until the very last minute. Emotionally, just touching it felt like he was wrapping his hand around a red-hot steel beam, but he wouldn’t recoil. He just tucked it away and hoped that the lesson wouldn’t have much to do with it. He hurried out towards the front door, but his mother stopped him.

“I made you breakfast,” she said, smiling sweetly at him. 

“But I’m gonna be late for school,” Lan protested softly.

“You always have time for the most important meal of the day,” she said, patting his head gently. “Come on.” She gestured to the table, where a plate of pancakes was waiting for him

He nodded slowly and settled down, pushing his food around hesitantly. He took a few bites and decided that he still wasn’t particularly hungry before getting up and leaving. “Thanks, mom. I’ll see you after school,” he said, heading out before Mrs Hikari could say anything.

School was a drag. The hours crept by agonizingly slowly, and although he received a hero’s welcome, it didn’t feel the same without Mega Man. He wasn’t the one that stopped Alpha; Mega Man was. He spent the whole day trying not to cry every time he was reminded of him. 

The day finally ended, and Lan had almost no strength left in him. He just wanted to collapse and be alone.

“Hey, Lan, do you wanna go to Higsby’s with me?” Mayl asked, a shy smile on her face.

“Sorry, I-,” he began, holding up a hand.

“Just the two of us?” She asked, fluttering his eyelashes at him.

Lan hesitated. “I gotta go,” he said, turning around and heading home without another word. He hurried home, practically slamming the door behind him and startling his mother.

“Hey!” She yelped, turning to face him. “How was school, sweetheart?”

“Fine,” Lan replied shortly, heading into his room with yet another slam.

Mrs Hikari drew two fists and hissed in a deep breath. “First Yuichiro, now Lan? Looks like Haruka Hikari just can’t catch a break,” she murmured through gritted teeth.

Lan threw his bag into his open closet, slipped out of his shoes, and flopped into his bed. He let out a shuddering breath and curled up tight. He had math homework that needed to get done. Normally, Mega Man would give him five minutes to do whatever he wanted before he would get on him to do his homework. Now he had to hold himself responsible. He stayed in his little ball, trying to recover emotionally from the stress of the day. He let out a deep breath and unfurled himself, ready to take on his homework, but it was already dark out when he looked out the window. The dregs of motivation that he’d worked up drained right out of him when he registered just how much time had passed.

“Why bother,” he murmured, changing into his pajamas and turning in for the night. At least tomorrow would be easier, he told himself.

Except it wasn’t. 

Being at school took just as much energy out of him, and he had to go home as soon as the bell rang yet again.

“You’re home early again,” Mrs Hikari commented. “Is everything okay?”

Lan looked at her with glassy eyes. “I miss Mega Man...,” he admitted, beginning to sniffle.

Her expression softened and she let out a sigh as she approached him. “I’m so sorry, Lan,” she said quietly, pulling him into a hug. He squeezed her back as tight as he could and sobbed into her embrace. She gently rubbed his back and let him cry, glad that she was at least getting him to show some kind of emotion.

“I didn’t get my homework done last night...,” he admitted as he finished up his sobbing.

“That’s okay,” Mrs Hikari soothed. “You’re dealing with a lot. Why don’t you go lay down while I make dinner?”

Lan nodded and let her press a kiss to his forehead before slipping off to his room. He’d moved the dock to his PET under his desk so that he wouldn’t have to look at the device that once homed his best friend and usually kept it covered with a blanket, despite it being a fire risk. He just couldn’t bear to look at it. Once he had it charging for the night, he kicked off his shoes and buried himself into his pillow. Just hugging it made a huge difference. Nowadays he found himself just wanting to be still and quiet. Everything seemed to wind him up, and being still eased that tension for him. He wanted to be curled up forever, taking measured breaths and telling himself that it was time to move on. So there he laid. Breathing in. And out. Because it was all he could bring himself to do.

His mother knocked tentatively, and that’s when Lan began to realize that he could smell food in the kitchen. “So I ordered from that curry place you love so much,” she said softly, hanging just outside of the door frame. “I thought it would make you the happiest.”

Lan unfurled himself, letting go of the pillow and stretching out his back. “Thanks, mom,” he said, following her into the dining room. Everything was plated and ready, and Lan took a seat readily. He looked over to where his father would sit when he was around. A sigh escaped him. “Dad’s still working, huh?” He asked quietly.

Mrs Hikari’s expression turned sour. “Always the workaholic, that Yuichiro,” she said, a hint of malice in her tone.

Lan began poking around at his food. “I bet he’s got a lot of work to do now that the Alpha incident needs to be cleaned up...,” he said forlornly.

“Why don’t we change the subject, sweetheart?” She asked, taking a seat across from him and smiling invitingly. “You’ve already done a great job with stopping Alpha. You shouldn’t have to concern yourself any more.”

“But...,” he started, tears welling up in his eyes. “But Chaud and Proto Man are leading the cleanup efforts... I really wish I could at least do something...”

“Lan...,” Mrs Hikari said softly. Instead of trying to find the right words to say, she reached out and held his hand. “Your best is all you can give. Now, your food’s getting cold.”

Lan gave her a half smile and set about eating. He finished quickly and headed to his room soon after to go to sleep. Mrs Hikari cleaned up afterwards, doing the dishes and wiping down the table once he was gone. Lan’s comments about his father were especially worrying to her, though. So she picked up the landline and dialed her husband’s cell.

“Can it wait?” Dr Hikari asked flatly as soon as he picked up.

“You did not just say that to me,” Mrs Hikari growled lowly. “Your son misses you.”

“Bold of you to assume I don’t miss my son,” he retaliated. “Now, I really have to go.”

“No, you are staying on this line with me,” Mrs Hikari said, her patience already running scarce. “What is so important that you absolutely need to abandon your mourning son and wife?”

“You aren’t mourning, Haruka,” he said forcefully.

She gasped. “How can you say that?”

“You looked me dead in the eye and told me that Hub would never be your son,” he said. “You are not mourning.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that Lan is,” she insisted. “Why can’t you ever prioritize your family for once? Why do you have to be so work-oriented? Why can’t we just have a normal family? For Lan’s sake.”

She could practically hear Dr Hikari rolling his eyes. “If you would let me get back to my research, I could actually do something about Lan mourning instead of enabling him to be useless,” he hissed. “I see his grades dropping by the day.”

Mrs Hikari was speechless. “You don’t deserve to have a child,” she said contemptuously.

“Well, let’s see who they favor in court, then,” he threatened. “Goodbye.”

Mrs Hikari blinked as the call ended, leaving her with a droning dial tone. She growled in frustration, throwing the phone across the room and storming to her room. “Why do I even bother...,” she murmured, tears springing to her eyes.

Lan curled up on himself, trying to just fall asleep. It felt so different without Mega Man nagging him about something. “You didn’t do your homework again...,” he murmured, cuddling into his pillow. “You’re so lazy, Lan. It’s not hard...”

And then he slipped off to sleep. He woke up the next morning to the sound of his mother and made himself at least get the homework from last night out to look at it. Math. It’s not like he would have netted many points on the assignment even if he did do it. He could afford to avoid it just this once.

The days began to slip by after that. He found himself turning in the odd half-finished assignment every once in a blue moon, avoiding his classmates, and eating takeout every single day. If you asked him for the date, he wouldn’t be able to tell you.

“Lan, can you stay after class?” Miss Mari had asked one day, and Lan immediately felt dread building inside of him. Mega Man would have pitched a fit, and oddly, he missed that. The other kids filed out after the bell, Mayl and the gang having long abandoned the prospect of hanging out with him while he was still so down about Mega Man, and he came up to the front of the room to talk with Miss Mari. “Is there something going on at home? You’ve been so wilted lately,” she asked, her body language nothing but sympathetic.

Lan looked away from her. “Oh, things are fine,” he said, digging his toes into the ground sadly. “I just miss Mega Man...”

Miss Mari nodded slowly. “I’m sorry for your loss...,” she said quietly. “Just keep doing your best, Lan.” She placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled encouragingly at him. “That’s all I’m asking of you. You’re a smart kid and you’ve pulled through every year leading up to this. I’ll make sure you make it to sixth grade.”

Lan froze. Right. Sixth grade. “They’re gonna make me get a new Navi, aren’t they?” He whispered.

Miss Mari retracted her hand hesitantly. “I know you’ll do great with a new Navi,” she said. “Life is all about accepting change. You’re going to be just fine.”

Lan nodded slowly. “Thank you, Miss Mari,” he said, looking back at her. “You’ve always been my favorite teacher.”

“You’re giving me too much credit. Just keep holding on, okay?” She said, heading back to her desk.

Lan nodded and headed out of the classroom, letting out a deep sigh. And he went straight home. He never took the long way anymore. He just wanted to be alone in his room again. He’d never craved isolation like he did now. He remembered the beginning of the school year. How he’d begged for a Navi because he couldn’t stand the blank stare that his default Navi gave him. Because he wanted someone to talk to. Someone to battle with. Someone to share his life with. He was so happy with Mega Man. He didn’t want to have to start all over again. He wondered if he could even do that. He’d been so gloomy these past four months, and the only thing that would fill that void was Mega Man.

He entered the house, and there was his father, leaned against the counter and talking amicably with his mother. Lan immediately knew something was up. He could tell their relationship was strained lately by all the shouting on the phone when they thought he was asleep.

“Hey, Lan!” Dr Hikari said brightly, waving to his son.

“Welcome home, dad,” Lan replied softly. “What brings you out here?”

Dr Hikari laughed awkwardly. “Do I need a reason to see my favorite son?”

“I’m your only son,” Lan said, his tone slicing deeper than he intended.

“Let’s not get hung up on semantics!” Dr Hikari said, continuing to try and laugh it off. Mrs Hikari rolled her eyes and continued to watch the circus play out. “I heard you needed a new Navi for sixth grade.” He held out a wrapped CD case. Lan took it tentatively. A look of immense sadness washed over his features. Dr Hikari placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. “I worked really hard on his. Why don’t you go boot it up?”

Lan nodded and headed to his room. There was no excitement that came with docking his PET and loading the disc this time. He knew that whatever his father managed to put together couldn’t possibly fill the void that Mega Man left. The Hikari family insignia filled the screen for so long as the files initialized and downloaded, each passing second filling Lan with dread until he heard the first noise. Was that a giggle?

“Hey, Lan,” that familiar, perpetually upbeat voice chimed out as the image of a certain Blue Bomber came into focus. “Long time no see.”

Lan stared at him, doe-eyed and stunned beyond belief. “Y-,” he stuttered quietly. “You’re not...”

“Have a little more faith in me,” Mega Man chuckled. “Hub Hikari, in the-... Well, I guess flesh isn’t the right word.”

Lan continued to stare at his beloved Navi, speechless.

Mega Man shifted in place. “Jeez, what a warm welcome,” he noted. 

“I-... I thought you were dead!” Lan chirped out, tears welling up in his eyes hard and fast. “I thought I would never see you again...”

Mega Man’s expression softened. “To be honest, I didn’t think I would either,” he said, voice somber. “But dad’s a real miracle worker, isn’t he?”

Lan sobbed uselessly, having grabbed a pillow to absorb his emotions. “I’m so sorry...,” he whimpered.

“Hey, if it meant saving you, I would have done anything. Floating around as part of Alpha wasn’t that bad, either,” Mega Man soothed, wishing he had real hands to pat his back with.

Lan froze. “I meant because I haven’t been doing my homework, but I probably should have apologized for that, too,” he murmured.

“What do you mean you haven’t been doing your homework!?” Mega Man cried. “Ugh, do I have to remind you to do everything?”

A few stray laughs made their way up Lan’s throat. “I missed you so much, Mega Man...”


End file.
